


Daily Life of Chaldea, Lostbelt 1

by DevilMayCrye



Series: Daily Life of Chaldea/Shadow Border - Cosmos in the Lostbelt [1]
Category: Fate/Grand Order, Fate/Zero, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:00:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23442847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DevilMayCrye/pseuds/DevilMayCrye
Summary: As Fate/Grand Order has shown us, we all know what Ritsuka 'Gudao/Gudako' Fujimaru, Mash Kyrielight and the servants who join them during their mission get up to during the Singularities......but what is life like for the Staff of Chaldea, and the numerous Heroic Spirits who don't end up joining their Master during the Singularities? What do the Heroes of Humanity do while on standby, unable to fight for the sake of Humanity?And how will losing Chaldeas change everything?Welcome, to the Daily Life of Chaldea.Lostbelt 1 is set during Salem, and right up until the start of the December Prologue.
Series: Daily Life of Chaldea/Shadow Border - Cosmos in the Lostbelt [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686475
Comments: 5
Kudos: 8





	1. A Bad Hand

"What do you mean, your refusing his invitation? He's pretty much the only person here who knew you when you were alive!" Jeanne Alter was pissed at her 'older' sister, who was sitting across from her, quietly drinking some tea.

Ordinarily, she wouldn't be surprised at a Saint choosing to avoid a private get together with a Caster of Gilles' low repute.  
But between his good behavior since summoning (or rather, his lack of bad behavior), and the fact that the Ruler known as Jeanne d'Arc had become fairly un-saint-like since coming to Chaldea, she couldn't see why she was refusing him.

The Eldest Jeanne sister sighed, and pushed the invitation towards the unruly Alter.  
"Ignoring the fact that you don't know what the relationship between Caster Gilles and I is, it wasn't me that was invited. Here, have a look."

Jeanne Alter snatched the paper, and began reading.

_Dear Beloved Jeanne, it would please me ever much to inv......_

Seeing that Gilles went on and on in his usual flow-y and lengthy ramblings, the Ace of Chaldea couldn't figure out what her sister meant.  
"Seems like he pretty clearly invited you. and you're obviously being a prig about it."  
And why her and not me........ But Jeanne Alter quickly banished the thought.  
As her girlfriend had taught her, it was fine to listen to the dark shadows that gathered in her mind, but she must never let their ideas fester and give them a hold on her psyche.

Jeanne d'Arc rolled her eyes, before hiding the apparent frustration of having to explain this thorn in her side.  
"My sweet but dense sister, how does Gilles the Caster address you?"

"Beloved Jeanne. He's always called me that, ever since I made my contract with Ritsuka."  
She'd always assumed it had been a display of affection to all those who remind him of the Saint.  
The dark Bitch Queen and her myriad clones got similar praising nicknames, like Jeanne Incarnate, or Jeanne reborn.

"Yes, beloved sister. He calls YOU that." Something dark quickly spread across her features.  
"At best, I am nothing more than Sweet Jeanne, and I made it quite clear to him that he will never call anything else until he stops holding the Ideal of me higher than the Actuality of me. I don't want his devotion, I want his true thoughts."  
Jeanne sighed, the pain of these feelings quite apparent.  
"As you've seen by how he worships the ground of anyone who looks vaguely like me, I can't trust him to tell me the truth or give me his honest opinions."

Jeanne Alter didn't know how to take her sister's condemning words of the friend from her original life she had.  
"Oh."

Jeanne smiled.  
"It's why I'm still close to Gilles the Saber. He still has the seeds of that sickening devotion, but they are tempered by a clear mind and knowing that Master will intervene if he follows the path fate has shown he will take without me around."  
She pulled her dark Sister into a loving hug.  
"Go see who Gilles associates with, see who else would willingly befriend the poor man."

Knowing no one else was around, Jeanne Alter hugged her sister back.  
"Fine. But if they're good people, I get to bring you next time."

The Sister of Light laughed happily.  
"It's a deal then."

\------------------------------------------

Jeanne Alter stared at her cards, trying not to look at the other Servants who had joined Gilles for a poker night.  
_Oh god. I see now why she wouldn't join his game nights._  
Seated besides her was Gilles.  
The others had said he HAD to sit next to her, basically because his strange rolling eyes allowed him to easily see anyone elses' hands, but they knew he wouldn't cheat on his special Jeanne.

Across from her and Gilles, sat Edward Teach, who was grumbling quietly about the 'wrong Alter' or something.  
The fool had learnt his lesson to never speak to her of what he desired to do to her, and had apparently been eager to join this session because he thought the youngest Jeanne sister would be playing poker.  
_That's probably why the table is set so that atleast one player MUST sit next to someone._ Jeanne Alter was disgusted at how low the Rider would go for his perversions.

To Gilles' right, sat the one known as 'the Phantom of the Opera'. He was also a strange recluse like the other two, but unlike Teach, he was more a harmless recluse, happy to spend his days singing Opera in the lower levels of Chaldea.  
None of the self appointed enforcer Servants ever had a problem with the Phantom, and had even occasionally left the younger Servants in his presence.  
_Probably because so long as he has an audience, he's easily swayed._

To Jeanne's left, was the most unlikely person she had expected to see here.  
The First Avenger, he who was considered to be 'All the World's Evils'.  
And the weakest Servant to serve Chaldea, since he only specialized in killing humans and Beasts, who weren't a common foe for Chaldea.

"Whose turn?" Angra Mainyu yawned, idly toying with his strange 3 bladed dagger, tip of the blade in the table while he used a finger on the hilt to balance it.

She knew he wasn't bored.  
The 'man' was so lackadaisical that he always seemed bored unless he was cutting into anything vaguely human-like, in which an inhuman bloodlust radiated from He who was mistaken All of the World's Evils.

"I believe it is my Dear Jeanne's turn to deal us a hand. Please, allow God Himself to guide your hand." Gilles reverently stated, handing her the deck of cards in a subservient manner.  
She quickly took the deck, following her senior's attitude and lazily shuffling the deck.

".....you would use a woman to cheat." Teach snidely remarked under his breath, only reason Jeanne Alter could hear him was because most of her attention was focused on the stupid moron so she could have any excuse to make him fear her Vengeful Flames.

But Gilles was quick to respond, despite his appearance belied a slow and religious fool to those who didn't know the man.  
"HOW DARE YOU suggest I would use my Dear Jeanne in such a manner? Only a fool would think I would waste our friendship on something so banal as winning a friendly card game." The unsettling Caster was quick to stand in rage, his large eyes focused on the target of his tirade.  
"I invited you here out of pity, for I know what it is like to be despised by Those Above us, and that few in Chaldeas willingly associate with you. And I was happy to let you stay, for you provide a different way of playing our games that keep our time here interesting. BUT TO INSINUA--"

"Gilles, its fine. If I thought the fool had anything worth winning, I would expect you to help me rob the man blind." She interrupted the frothing Caster, knowing he could go for hours if she didn't stop him before the fever pitch carried him away.  
DevilMayCryeToday at 6:13 PM  
"I'd like to see a noob like you try. You just don't have the skillz to beet a brilliant hackzor like me." Teach, who had been ignoring Gilles rant, pumped his chest in pride, as extra cards tumbled out of his coat, eliciting a smirk from the First Avenger, and an eye roll from the Phantom.  
She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she somehow knew he was saying some of the words wrong in a way that irritated her.

Quick and powerful as her strikes always were, Jeanne Alter followed her senior's example and improved upon it, stabbing her black sword through the table without breaking it, the dark purple jewel flaring with restrained power.  
"Or, given that I don't give a shit about being fair to a pathetic thief, I would just take what I wanted from you. Especially since your fellow Pirates have already told me where you hide your valuables."

Teach paled and proceeded to guard his groin, which elicited an eyeroll from Jeanne Alter, before she stood up and knocked his hat off and claiming the fake gold baubles he had apparently taken from Gilles' room.

"Can we stop with the play, and get on with the performance?" The Phantom asked tiredly, apparently here wanting to play.

"No worries, just need to make sure _someone_ knows their place." Jeanne replied as she began dealing cards.

\---------------------------  
After having finished, and being the last to leave, Jeanne Alter bid her friend farewell, and left his room to begin the trek back upstairs.  
_I have no freaking clue if I won our bet._  
Jeanne understood why her eldest sister despised the Caster Incarnation of Gilles.  
This aspect of her former General was a purely evil man, and had committed a number of horrific acts in the name of proving God existed.  
But Jeanne Alter had a soft spot for the man who was the only reason she existed, who had enabled her Spirit Origin to even have a chance of flourishing.

But he was a point in the Elder Jeanne's favor.  
.....as was the gross Rider's appearance.  
Unlike Gilles, who had a complicated friendship with the Jeanne Sisters, Teach had no such relationship, and as such, was not tolerated by any of the Sisters.

But the Phantom and Angra Mainyu weren't as clear cut.  
While the Phantom was almost a berserker in how he behaved at times, he had a startling clarity when not giving in to his passions, and she now kind of understood why he wasn't as closely watched as Teach was.

And Angra Mainyu just....wasn't anything spectacular. He was supposedly banished down here because of the threat he represented to the human Staff, but after having spent some time in his company, it seemed more like he was down here because he couldn't stand the Heroic Spirits.

She sighed. As much as she would rather have a win over her eldest Sister, it just wasn't worth it.  
The Eldest Jeanne and that group just couldn't easily mingle in anything but a mission setting.  
_And no way in hell is Lily allowed down here by herself, if Teach is around._

Nearing the hallway that lead to a staircase that could get Jeanne Alter close to an elevator, she encountered two of the newer servants.  
_What were they called? Outsiders?_

The short one who shared her Elder Sister's golden hair but the stature of her younger sister spoke first, after greeting the Avenger with a bright smile and dragging her companion over with her.  
"Oh, its you, Miss Ace! You wouldn't happen to know where Mr Gilles is, would you?"

Jeanne Alter froze. She knew of Gilles' history. Alexander and the young Gilgamesh were more his type, but he wouldn't be surprised if that slimy Rider had set up her fool of a friend for disaster.  
".......why do you ask?"

"Miss Oui and I want to try something, but we need one more connected to.....similar powers." The blonde girl cast her eyes down and started to shift in place, ashamed of something Jeanne wasn't quite getting.

"Remember that time where I asked you and your sisters for help with getting Gilles to leave me alone? Turns out, its coz he has an affinity for a certain god tied to my Spirit Origin." The taller and darker haired woman finally spoke up, her dark kimono making it hard to distinguish her from the gloomy atmosphere unless she was actively talking.

"Oh, Hokusai. What would you want Gilles help, after the mess he caused for you?" Jeanne asked, puzzled.  
_That explains why the young one was able to come down here without the old Geezer keeping watch._

"I came up with an idea for something, but I needed two others like me to make it work." The young and beautiful painter replied.  
She gestured to Abigail.  
"Little Abbie here is the only one so far with a strong and pure connection. Gilles is probably the closest we can get otherwise."

"Wouldn't some of the others be more suitable? There are definitely greater Evils in Chaldeas." She didn't want to speak poorly of her friend, but he was small fry as far as those connected to a great evil power were in Chaldeas.

Hokusai smirked.  
"Oh, we considered them. And I have some ideas for painting I'd love to indulge with them. But Gilles is the closest to what we need, that would mix well with our powers." The painter shrugged, apparently determined on the matter.

"Well, head down this hall, and look for the overdecorated doorway. That should be his. I'll be taking my leave." Jeanne sighed as she left the two odd servants. She needed sleep.

\------------------------  
Once the Ace of Chaldeas had left the level she had left the Foreigners on, they dropped their more human-like forms for their Eldritch Ascensions.

"I don't like having to lie to a former holy maiden like that." Abigail pouted as she floated on the tendrils of her Outer God.

Hokusai laughed as she swam through the air, akin to a octopi lazily swimming around a curious object.  
"Nah, its all good. We didn't lie, we just didn't tell her everything. Its only a lie if we didn't tell answer her truthfully, and some of the truth is still the truth."

Abigail huffed, deepening her pout and lying back on her tentacle that acted as a moving lounge for this form.  
"Still doesn't sit right with me."

Hokasai laughed again, before swimming over to pat her fellow Foreigner on the head.  
"That's fine. This was my idea, so blame me if you need to. After all, in theory, this should help Master-dono out in the long run."

Hokusai guided her young witchling down towards what was now obviously Gilles doorway.  
She knocked on the door, and waited for the Mad Caster to come out.

"To whom do I owe the pleas-- OH, Great Painter, to what do I owe this great boon?" Gilles was quick to bow before Hokusai.

An evil smile spread across Hokusai's and Abigails now devilish faces, the keyhole in Abigails forehead glowing with power just as Hokusai's brushes dripped with otherworldly colours.  
"I head you have a book that connects to the Evil God of the Abyss? We need your help with a ritual."

Hokusai and Abigail quickly ushered Gilles into his room, as they quickly informed him of their plan to 'help' Chaldeas.


	2. Dreamers of a Deep, Dark Abyss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hokusai and Abigail set their plan in motion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to use a Translator for the R'ylethian, so forgive me if its not good.

"So, think it'll work?"  
Hokusai excitedly asked the strange Caster.  
Gilles shared a connection to the Evil God of the Abyss, the one whose existence gave the twinned Hokusai their power. But while theirs was a pure and direct connection, Gilles was a thin and ragged one, the connection his due to his ownership of an eldritch grimoire, not due to his own work.

"Oh Great Painter, between my fervor, your passion, and the young Abigail's faith, we can indeed try and work this miracle."  
The large and imposing Caster paused, realizing something.  
"But where would we commit such a blasphemous ritual? It would need to be a room dyed in decay and filth, and a room worthy of being a workshop, to have even the most remote chance of working. But all such rooms capable of being a workshop are already claimed, and Da Vinci is too skilled at her craft to let anywhere in Chaldea fall to such a state as we desire."

"......that's not entirely true." Abigail piped up from her lounging spot atop a larger tentacle, having been rather silent while the Painter and the Heretic discussed the improbably plan.  
"Our amazing Master must have convinced Da Vinci to allow some part of the facility to fall. Have you not noticed how many powerful Spirit Origins aligned with Death and Shadows they have been gathering recently?"

A bright, if creepy, smile rapturously appeared across Gilles features.  
"HOW COULD I HAVE BEEN SO BLIND? But of course you are right, young Abigail. But where could it be located? Between the Phantom and myself, we have ventured far through the filth of Chaldea."

The youth of the Witch Trials smiled sweetly.  
"There are places down here you can't get to without prior knowledge."

The giant of a Caster looked tiled his head, confused.  
"Oh? And here I thought my Magecraft and my Spellbook would render me aware of all such places."  
He raised a hand to his chin, contemplating.  
"When could this have happened? Such a thing would've been very noticeable to one such as I, or the other evil Casters. Because while they may all shun me for my faith, they would be too curious to stop themselves from denying a rival this place of power."

"Unless there was a time when everyone in Chaldea was unconscious." Abigail added brightly, her pale white skin seemingly glowing from within.  
Hokusai was glad the easily guided Caster knew how to give both Foreigners the right sort of questions so they could lead him down their path. He so needed a higher power to guide him, and the only one who might actively refused.

"Was there such a time? I recall passing out on the day celebrating the birth of Our Lord, but wasn't that just me?" The hand that was at Gilles chin was now joining its twin in safely holding Prelati's Spellbook, gripping it tighter than a vice.  
If not for the fact that the Spellbook was a Noble Phantasm, they wouldn't even need the Caster. But the Spellbook was tied to his connection to their 'God', and thus inseparable from the Servant.

"Yes. Prior to Ereshkigal-dono formally entering a relatio-- establishing a contract with our Master, everyone here at Chaldea spent a fair amount of time unconscious."  
Hokusai was glad that the Jaguar was happy to share anything so long as she was fed, since this had been vital in figuring out what the Goddess of the Dead had done here. It had been quite audacious for her to move what remain of th-

The increasingly agitated Caster calmed himself in an instant, the sly intelligence hiding behind his madness shining through his abyss-tainted eyes.  
"....how would you know this? If I recall correctly, you both came AFTER the dawning of the new year."  
The large chameleon-esque eyes of the Caster narrowed to pinpricks, a different eye focused on each of the Foreigners.  
_Fascinating. I wonder how Oui would paint his eyes........_

"I may be a Servant, but a lot of you older folk tend to forget that fact around those like me!" The now pale purple skinned Abigail piped up again, jagged teeth on full display, her eyes closed as the purple Eye within her Keyhole shone bright, oily 'light' bending around her form as tendrils made themselves present, both of her large ornate Keystaffs in hand.  
The tendrils buzzed loudly, the plague of insects Hokusai knew she had at her beck and call agitated.

_Hmm, a threat display. The Gate and The Key is really making itself known._

"OH GREAT DEMON, PLEASE IGNORE THIS INEPT FOOL WHO WOULD DARE DOUBT YOUR MESSENGERS!" The imposing Caster was fully prostrate before the now looming Avatar of the Gate, as he wailed his apologies, before his form stiffened and he passed out from the pressure.

" _A͈̣͖h̴̙͎̖ͅ ̧͍̰m̴̠͔̺̼g̰͙̝̬͘e͔̦͚̰̻̻͝ͅp̴̗͕h̴̻̩͚̗a̜͈i,̦͢ ̹͉͖̯o̹̹h͕ ̜̖̫t̟͕̰͇̦͇h̢͇̟͙̘̖͙̥r̟͖̥o̞͠d̴̮̩͇̘̠o̞̲g̲͙̠̮̠̩ ̸̤̼T̫͚u̹͟t̗̟͍̯͙̼̼-̘̩̣͍̤̦̕S͎͚̦͈̰ͅy̡̱͉̳̱p̯̯̙h̸͔o̲͎͍n͞.͔̩̮̖͚̙ ̵̠ ̴͉͚̠̗T҉̯͉͔̜̞h͉̺̬̖̯͎e̟̞͡ ̱͕͜ḁ͙͔̥̭̲̲h͏̻̫̳̫'̴̯̳͚̻l̩͇̰̳̻̖͇e̲̼̰̮g̺̞̩͠e͖̕t̸̰̜̪h҉͉̩ ͏͎̰͇̖̟h̺'̩͚̮̣̦͉ ̗̳̮̖̮̘̘k̪͎̟a̢͚̪͚͉͍͇d̮̺͉͈͔̮͢i̷̻̼̜ș̠̱h̳͙̜̖͚͝ț̣͎̳̖u̼ ̢̮͓̼a̵g҉͖̜̯l̮͍͚̼̫.̲̬̤̯͠_ " Hokusai whispered to the agitated Foreigner, showing deference in hopes of placating it.  
The Outer God would easily break the container housing this portion of the Heroic Spirit if not careful, and they didn't have time if they broke him further and others found out.  
_And if we are to prevent the Ice from completely dominating Chaldea's Dream, we need that damned Book._

While the oily 'Light' dissipated and Abigail slowly eased down back on to the large lounging tentacle, the Eye of the Gate was focused upward, glaring at something.  
_Y̸'̯̹̪̠ ̜̹̘̟̜̣̙m̧̲̳̟̲̹̘g̮̜̜̗̙̭r͓͍'̯̙̫̫̗͞l̟̠͎̹̼̯̘͢u͏̝͔̺̳̳h͖ ̣̥͙a͏̺̫̤̜͉h̴̰̹̲̥͍f͇̭̱̤̕'͎̬̭͕͞ ̟̟̩͈ͅy҉͓̠̼̪ͅm̰͞g'͕ ̦̞̝͞a̲͓̼͎͓̯͘h̢̼̳̫̲̪ͅ'̦̻̲̗̻͔e̝͙͙͉̫h̻͔͖̫͔̩̼͜y̷͉̪̼̗̮e̷̺̪̗'̦̖̳̠d̲̰̩̘r̯͡n͚̰̝̝̞̞ͅ, ͚C̜̭̟h̠͢a̙̣̝͖i̧̻͕̜͇̰̟͍n̞̩͈̠̩ ̼͞o̞͉̱͘t̥ ̲H̭̼e̝͍͕͘a̵͔̻̰ve͕n͕͡ ̰̹̳̣̙̞͍͘n̼̣̩̠̪̹ͅg̰͈̤͔ ̖a͙̫h͙̠͚̯̯̯̲'̢̙͎e̱͎h̖͎̘̫͉̱y͍̼̞̠͞e̗̫͈͢'̜̲̮͕͉̺d̬̘ͅr̷̖̞̟͍̮n͕͖͎̫̠ ͈͉͚̰̙o͕̲̪͜t̝͓̞ ͡K̸̗̹u͓̠̹͠r͙̬̙͙̝.̵̥̯͚̻̳̤_ roared through Hokusai's mind, now tasting what Abigail's brand of insanity tasted like.

I must have Oui paint this, for it will be a masterpiece. Hokusai paused and collected themselves, realising what the Gate had said.  
_Ah, the defenders of Kur now know we know. I wonder how they will react._

"I̹̬̣̮ͅä̮͔̭͈̪̭͜!͇̞ ̸͔͔̹̮I̗̙͕̤͓͓ͅä͙̖̟͕̜!̝͚̥̫̠͢ ̶̻̠̟̙N̡̫͉'̮̜̖̲g̱̟̬h͏f͎͈͇̤͙ț̵ fht͏̺͕͖̭a̢͔̖͙g͓̮͖̝̯̮̺͟n̴̤̗͚̰ ̦̣y͎͎̖m͓̗͚͍̩̪ͅg̻̰͕͉'̣̣ ̩͓͝i̶̦̬̭͎l̬̺̼͜y̛͉̗̖͔a̝̖̳̰̠͖a̟̱͠,̵̭̳̜̙ ͎̣͇̝͙f҉̣͙̲͓̖͍̯h̪̫̖̘̺t͎͎̙̺̙͍a̯̺͇͇g̙̲n̰̞͚̯̼ ̸̺͖͍͚̟G̜i̭ll͖͔̦̮͡e͈̭͔͎̗͔s.͏̭͙̬̝" Hokusai stated as they used their brush to hoist the large Caster onto his filthy rags he was apparently using for a bed, eldritch ink caressing his sleeping form.  
_The Great One recognizes you, atleast. Maybe we do need your Self as well as Prelati's influence._

The two Foreigners quickly left the depths of Chaldea. The tiring spirit of the Gate was a sly thing, only turning up when the pure youngling was spending time with the child of death, and was most likely going to deposit the slowly waking Abigail in the bed she shared with the other younglings, where none who cared would be the wiser.

Hokusai had no such luck. What should they do?  
Rounding a corner after having left the elevator, Hokusai's "salvation" appeared.

"My my, what are you doing out so light, dear Painter? Fancy a drink?"

The delicious smell of sake was exactly the excuse they needed.

===================================

"What are the strange ones up to?" the green haired Enkidu quietly asked their compatriot, standing before the door hiding the abyss of Chaldea's depths. Gilgamesh had asked his friend to keep an eye on the door to the Underworld, after the last stunt the remaining goddess of Babylonia had pulled.  
Luckily, unlike her black haired counterpart, the blonde Divine Spirt was very easy to get along with.

"We'll see when they come. Kur is calling to them, we just have to wait for them here." Ereshkigal felt the pull through her Soul Cage. The abzu below was restless, something unheard of in her time. But humans had helped let something into their reality after her reign, and like a virus it had quickly infected all of time and space until it was an undeniable part of how everything worked. So while it had not been there when she was first awake, it also had been.  
Both dependent on, and locked away from, reality.

And now it stirred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case the text effect makes it too hard to read, heres the lines of dialogue in R'ylethian. (And I threw in the rough translation coz why not.)
> 
> \- Ah mgephai, oh throdog Tut-Syphon. The ah'legeth h' kadishtu agl.  
> Which roughly meant 'Be still, Oh Great Tut-Syphon. The fool will know his place.'
> 
> \- Y' mgr'luh ahf' ymg' ah'ehye'drn, Chain ot Heaven ng ah'ehye'drn ot Kur.  
> Which roughly means 'I see what you hide, Chain of Heaven and Keeper of Kur.'
> 
> \- Iä! Iä! N'ghft fhtagn ymg' ilyaa, fhtagn Gilles.  
> Which roughly means 'Iä! Iä! Dark dreams await you, dreaming Gilles.'


	3. Death May Die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She had thought herself cunning, calling out the Foreigners.
> 
> .......little did she realise how patient her new foes were, and how taxing multiple weeks of a stakeout are.

_tap_

"Didn't think those two schemers were this slow." the green haired Chain murmured from their place near The Gate, patiently waiting for some sign which Ereshkigal still hadn't figured out.

_tap tap tap_

"They aren't. The Painter is a hedonist, like that pervert nun. And the Puritan is enjoying her freedom." Ereshkigal mused aloud, tapping the tip of of her Meslamtaea as she tried to figure out what the two Foreigners were up to.  
 _I could understand waiting a few days, especially once I made it known I was aware of their plan, but three weeks?????_

A tired sigh came from her fellow Guardian of The Gate.  
"Did you pay any attention to the Caster we caught them with?"  
The Chain looked up from their place near The Gate, looking her straight in the eyes.

For anyone else, anger or embarrassment would override her sense and confuse her.  
But The Chain Of Heaven was an equal, and considering how good a job they did of keeping 3 distinct Gilgameshes' under control, she knew where she stood with them.  
"Why? He's an insignificant pawn in their game, as far as I can tell."  
She turned her gaze to where she knew the weak Caster kept his room, and frowned.  
 _Again, nothing like what we saw in that moment we caught them in the act._

A mischievous smile tugged at The Chain's normally emotionless features.  
"Your Sister is leaking through, if the normally composed and clever Ruler of the Underworld is overlooking that one."

While she managed to retain her composure and not let her emotions fly, the red hue she now radiated was beyond her to control.  
"Hes a rapist and heretic, with no power to his name. What could his legend offer to those two?"

The Chain stood, and started to dissipate into spirit form, apparently leaving her to guard duty.  
"True, hes basically nothing compared to other Servants here. But according to My Friend, he has a reason as to why the Outsiders would seek his aid."

Ereshkigal sighed, thinking over what Enkidu had said.  
 _That rotten King of Heroes. He would know something about using other peoples' legends.............even if they were technically his first._

Ereshkigal then sat herself in front of The Gate, mimicking the seated position The Chain of Heaven had done.  
She couldn't find out what they had meant until they got back, and she'd........kind of.....left her Chaldea Tablet behind when she had last switched back for solitary duty.

She rested her chin in her hand.  
"This is going to be a long vigil."

======================================

"He's taking too long."  
Abigail pouted and puffing out her cheeks in irritation, huffing as she forcibly sat down on to her ally's bed.

"And this is why he's taking so long." Hokusai patiently explained the the young Puritan.  
"We're being watched, so we can't do anything. But unlike us, who reek of the rot of the oceanic abyss to those who know its stench, that perverted fool only borrows the Evil God's Power, so he can walk around without raising suspicion."  
What she didn't tell She Who Was The Key was that the sheer scale of the ritual required actual knowledge of arcane texts and ritualistic practice.  
And while she who contained The Outer God could definitely access the knowledge if she tried, she didn't have the years of practice needed to ensure it worked without taking Chaldea down into the abyss that needed to stay dreaming.

"BUT I'M BORED!" 'Abigail' pouted, oily light washing over her as her eldritch form asserted itself.

_Ah, that would explain it._  
"I understand, Great One. But the Ruler of the Abyss is patient, and the Caster said he will get us when the ritual is ready." Hokusai sat beside the amalgamation of Outer God and young girl, and guided the young thing's head to her lap, where she quickly painted a fine toothed comb and proceeded to calm brush the long golden hair.  
If it had been anyone else, the Outer God would not have tolerated Another touching its host.  
But as the Host was both container and reason of manifestation, this small shard was easily influenced by the Puritan girl who just craved physical affection.  
As the Outer God went back into its dreamless slumber, Abigail happily murmured, "Then please distract me and pamper me."

Hokusai laughed heartily, and began pampering the young girl.  
While her Father had originated the plan, she'd already figured out what she needed to do to ensure Chaldea's safety.  
Part of which meant keeping The Outer God from interfering. Which was an excuse she happily used to lavish the young girl like the younger sister she now thought of her as.

===========================

"Why are you allowing them to do this?" Enkidu asked their friends, having somehow managed to corral all 3 Gilgameshs' into a room away from everyone.  
They knew Gilgamesh to be one to tackle threats head on, before they became a true issue.  
Which would explain why the Adult Archer might not have done anything, having long since become over confident in his abilities as King of Heroes.  
But that didn't explain why the two intelligent Gils' hadn't done anything.

The King of Heroes was ignoring them, which was fine, since Enkidu had only really dragged the insufferable one because the mess of not bringing him wasn't worth the effort.

"Eh, the young girl won't do anything to hurt our Master. Her love is too pure and not twisted like a lot of the others here for her to stand the idea of hurting our Master." The young Archer piped up.

"And the Painter isn't as much a fool as her Father would want us to believe." The Caster added, also watching his future Archerself's apparent disdain for this sudden meeting.

The King of Heroes suddenly stood up, and headed for the door.  
Before exiting, the red snake eyes of the King of Heroes looked Enkidu right in the eyes.  
"The Painter promised me a painting worthy of us all, and the young one promised to keep the dream alive. That was all I needed, and it should be all you need."  
And he was gone.

The remaining Gils' sighed in relief.  
"Well, thats settled then."

Enkidu tilted their head, puzzled.  
"Oh?"

Caster Gil reached a hand for his friend, as the young King quickly left to either cause mischief or have Moriarty spoil him.  
"The reason your worried is a good reason to be, given the otherworldy threat those two contain. But like the stories of the Devil Hiding in the Moon's Shadow my older self told us, this won't be the first time something else has sided with us."

Enkidu sighed, then smiled, grasping the outstretched hand close.  
"I trust your judgement. Ereshkigal won't though. The Abyss is a sore spot for her lately."

A smirk appeared on the King of Babylonia's face.  
"Then its simple. Unlike you, she needs rest."

==========================================

"Sleep, now." Enkidu stated, materialising into a physical form, startling the dozing Ereshkigal into a flustered panic.

"I WASN'T SLEEPING!" the Queen of the Abyss stated, before slowly and guiltily adding, "I was just......resting my eyes........"

The tiniest of smiles hid itself in the corners of their otherwise emotionless face.  
"Then there is no problem with me taking over guard duty, and letting you get some sleep before your 'sister' decides to cause trouble for you." they added deviously.  
Enkidu enjoyed the company of both of the Babylonian Goddesses, but they couldn't help but enjoy blaming Ishtar for Ereshkigal's mistakes.  
It wasn't meant maliciously, since unlike Gilgamesh, Enkidu and Ishtar had a good friendship. It also happened to be the sort of friendship where Enkidu could blame Ishtar for things that, while they weren't true, weren't far from a believable thing she might do.

"Now now, she wouldn't do anything like that..............anymore. We established boundaries." the blonde sister was surprisingly quick to defend her black haired sister.

Enkidu raised an eyebrow.  
"You mean the goddess who is known to be easily bribed, and constantly ignores boundaries that don't suit her desires, who has few rivals who can stop her when you aren't around? That Ishtar?"

An indignant flush was quick to spread across the pale fears of the pseudoservant's face, and began to stammer a defence.  
Enkidu quickly quieted the Queen of Kur with a hug.  
"I'm teasing. But you need sleep, and I'm available to look out for you."

Having stiffened upon receiving a hug from the Chain of Heaven, she quickly returned it, nodded, and dematerialised without another word.

Enkidu waited a while, before they received a notification on their communicator, from the young Gil.  
 _Looks like she took my advice._  
They turned to look directly at the two Foreigners, and made the Chain of Heaven's presence known to them, before turning around and leaving the Doorway to the Abyss.

Gilgamesh said the two could be trusted, and that was enough for Enkidu.

=============================

"It's time." Toto-sama whispered into the ear of the pale girl resting on 'his' lap.

"FINALLY!" The pale girl exclaimed, as her pale skin took on a purple hue, her black dress replaced with the Gown of the Gate.

"Go on ahead, and collect Gilles. I need to collect some more supplies." The words tumbled from Toto-sama's mouth, despite knowing it was not he who spoke them.  
He watched as the Incarnation of the Gate was quick to disappear into a cloud of insects, be he was forcibly ejected from his shared body.

"Sorry, old man. Can't letcha be in control for this." Oei informed the now indignant octopus creature floating indignantly around her.  
"Thinka it this way: If we do what you want, we'll get one amazing painting. OR!" she was quick to put emphasis on this before her father could object with his hyperfixation on painting an Outer God, "We could paint multiple paintings of all the various aspects of Heroic Spirits from around the world, and of the various horrors Lord Ritsuka has dealt with and will deal with in the future!"

The strange octopus stopped indignantly hovering around her, and began to contemplate what she told him.  
She had him, she knew it. She just had to make him realise the potential of letting this dream live, over his mad dream.

..........despite how tempting the idea of painting an alien existence was.

After some thought, her father raised his tentacles in the vague form of a fist, and gave the equivalent of a thumb's up.  
Oei smiled. "Let's get tah painting this dream!"

===========================

The being possessing Abigail left her tool's room, pleased to finally be breaking down the false dream to the point where it could be replaced by its own.  
The Beast wanted this canvas for its own purposes, and the entity wanted to ensure its existence was guaranteed in that bleached world.  
She headed towards her room, coughing at the vague haze of smoke that was filling the corridor.

Watching from just far enough away that he knew the evil wouldn't sense him, Geronimo finished the last of the shamanistic spell weaved into the smoke, and felt it settle comfortable between whatever the entity was, and the young puritan girl, within her saint graph.  
"My part is done. Hopefully, this will help you, young one."


End file.
